A clash of two teams thriving in the Eastern Conference happens today, Saturday, when the Detroit Pistons begin a three-game road trip versus the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre.
Both teams belong to the top eight in the Eastern Conference standings, with the Raptors sitting on the second spot with a 31–15 record, while the Pistons are seventh at 25–22.
The host Raptors are streaking and have won their last 10 games, the longest winning streak in franchise history.
In Toronto's most recent win which was against the New York Knicks on Thursday (103–93), the backcourt duo of All-Stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan led the way as they scored 26 points each. Lowry added six rebounds, 10 assists, and three steals. Meanwhile, DeRozan had one rebound, four assists, one steal, and two blocks.
Helping them was center Jonas Valančiūnas who had a monster game, tallying 11 points, 18 rebounds, and one rejection in 28 minutes of action.
The game today versus Detroit will be the last game of a seven-game home stand for Toronto, before the team goes on a six-game road trip.
Meanwhile, the Pistons are doing well this season but ended a two-game winning streak after losing 114–106 to the Cleveland Cavaliers last Friday.
In the defeat, all starters for Detroit scored in double-digits, led by center Andre Drummond who had 20 points, with eight rebounds, one steal, and three blocks.
Drummond was followed by guards Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Jackson who tallied 19 and 15 points, respectively. Forwards Marcus Morris (14 points) and Ersan Ilyasova (11 points) also produced well offensively in a losing effort.
The Pistons' game versus the Raptors is the first game of a three-game Eastern Conference road trip for the team from Motor City.
The matchup between the Raptors and Pistons will take place today, Jan. 30, at 6:30 p.m. EST. To watch via live stream, click here.
